It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Excerpt

April, 1979; near the end of my internship year. I was on night call for medicine. Starting around 9 pm, we heard the following overhead announcement: “Doctor Leaf, Doctor Alex Leaf. Please call the Emergency Department.” The other residents and I laughed. It was Friday night and Dr. Leaf was the Chair of the Department. While many of the physicians stayed until late in the night to round on their private patients, it was unlikely that he was in the hospital. At that hour, I imagined him sitting in front of a fireplace in his home on the North Shore, sipping sherry and reading manuscripts or grant applications. The announcement was repeated about 10 times up to midnight when it finally stopped. …